insurance

I haven't blogged in almost a year. I've been living my life... feeling and behaving healthy. This little cancer interruption has been shoved to the back of my mind. Even with bi-monthly treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering and quarterly CT Scans ... it's all just a task that I must check off like paying taxes or speeding tickets.

Today, I finally felt inspired to blog. I just spent over 2 hours on the phone attempting to confirm a stupid CT Scan appointment.  Over 2 hours mostly on hold with 4 people at 4 different locations and departments...just to confirm an appointment my oncologist prescribed for a stupid scan at the same hospital I've been going to for a year.
I pay a fortune for the insurance I have. It's an astounding $600 a month plus co-pays and treatment costs. It's an unbelievable amount of money that I will NEVER pay in full. (That is both a threat and a promise!)

I don't begin to understand health care reform. I truly don't have any clue as to what potential changes to my health care will be affected in regards to my treatment or my financially responsibilities. I also don't know what  happens to the system with reform. Will it be easier to manage?  What I do know is this. Our current system sucks! Not just the arbitrary legal shoveling of pharmaceuticals down peoples throats, and the over charging insurance mark up big business creating money grubbing slimy bastards.  But the inefficiency of the system.

Be it a HMO or a  PPO  it's all WTF. Either way you spend your time calling and referring and getting authorization codes and case numbers it's a waist of time and money. The astounding inefficiency of such an enormous monopoly is blasphemy. If it were a normal corporation it would have gone under... customers would have complained and stopped using them. This isn't news, I know you already know this, I know I already know this but all the crazy revolution in Egypt just keeps reminding me that we are a bunch of do nothings who sit around waiting for the world to change. I for certain am the pied piper of apathy. But, today I'm fired up.
Changes must be made ... I have no clue as to what they are.. but if you have read this far along ...I appreciate you hearing me out and I now feel better.

What I do know is how we can all help within this labyrinth of ridiculousness. If you have a friend or relative who is sick. Offer to help schedule appointments or organize their bills or medications. Food, cards, gifts and loving words of support are fabulous ..but the time sucking, paper-work needing health care system is enough to make anyone say screw it to the meds and appointments and just give up.
I'm healthy, happy and am graced with the ability to function with an extraordinary amount of denial and procrastination ...so managing this crap isn't too difficult for me. But some patients like to pay their bills on time and like taking the correct dosage of medications at the correct time ..it's those people I feel really bad for right now. I can't imagine being truly sick and having to deal with these complications. So maybe we can't fix the huge problem but we can all lend a hand in fixing our friends and families little problems.

Thanks for hearing me out. I Hope I riled someone I know to go fix the health care problem. Now I feel better and have to go watch the Real Housewives reunion show.

p.s. ...let me just add.. that I have cherished the support and love in all the means friends and family have bestowed on me. I don't think I would be feeling as good as I do if not for the heartfelt cards, food, gifts, thoughts and love. Thank you.